Summary :It was assumed no color films existed in Japan until the victorious U.S. forces arrived in 1945. This DVD is remarkable proof that those assumptions were verifiably false. Now you can discover the story of a nation at war from its rare color films, plus letters and diaries from those who lived through it. Almost all the material in this color documentary has been recently discovered and allows the viewer to expereince Japanese culture and events from an entirely new perspective. Subject matter includes Imperial Japanese troops in 1931 Manchuria, remarkable domestic scenes of 1930s Japan, preparation for war in 1939, and images of occupation in 1940s Shanghai.

Japan's War in Colour by David Batty (Hardback, 2004)

31.74

Japan's War in Color by David Batty (2004, Hardpack)

9.99

Japan's War in Colour David Batty Unpublished Photos Emperor Hirohito

15.88

I highly recommend this DVD about Japan in the Second World War. The film does a great job in both the footage and narrative in exploring the Japanese viewpoint of the war. What is also very fascinating is the color footage in the film. Most of the footage shown about the war in the Pacific is black and white, or colorized. This documentary film is actual color footage. Not restored black and white into color: But the real deal here. The film does an excellent job in showing Japan’s experience in the war.

Moreover, the narration is very, very good. You also have first-person accounts of the events of the war: which I have also found to be a plus in any documentary. Primary evidence, be it paper documents or the men who witnessed these historic events give a much more vivid picture when discussing historic events. The pictures in the film are incredible. Almost 95% is in color. And I might add, this footage has never been seen before.

There is also bonus material included in the DVD called “The Last Bomb” which detail the planning and massive attacks of the then Army Air Force on the city of Tokyo. The film shows air combat footage of the Air Force in color. I have seen many of these types of films while I served in the U.S Air Force many years ago, however, this footage compliments the entire rest of the documentary film. There is also footage of the Pacific Campaign dealing with the varoius battles, such as Iwo Jima. Plus, there is footage of post-war Japan, which many documentaries do not focus on, when discussing the war. The DVD is highly recommended.